Army Viaduct - It brings you luck don't it?

Touch and go today for round 7 Army at Viaduct in Somerset.  A recently acquired back injury leaving we having to swing legs out of bed and pivot on an angle to get out of bed.  Pins and needles in the feet and numb bum cheeks meant it was going to be difficult today.  Certainly I wouldn't be able to fish the pole long.  The flyer too was poorly so I had to unload into Kate my volvo estate and get underway late.  Arrived just in time to book in for the draw.

As I have drawn well for the team this year, I was pushed forward again.  In went the hand and I drew 66 for mike after a redraw on 111 as an angler had not shown.  Mike was happy 66 won the match on Sunday.  I then drew 78 for me that was second on Sunday then 116 for Dave which was one off the 3rd place on Sunday.

Happy boys headed for their pegs.

I tackled up slowly as I was a stiff as a board, the pins and needles had gone but the numb arse was well in evidence. Sun was head on and the carp on the top looked listless and disinterested.  Hundreds of roach fry topped and flipped in front of me.  I decided to make it easy by fishing straight lead as fishing the pole long was not on.  A tree meant I had room for atop kit maybe short 4 and top kit.  To the right I had an edge swim to the left.

Twenty minutes in saw the first bite an unstoppable run which once it circled around and whacked against the line clip, meant the 0.17 hook link was gone.  Immediately had a stomach cramp as the fisherman's breakfast of vimto and a whole packet of Haribo Tangtastic sours hit my gut like a hammer.  Hobbled round to the clubhouse loos, and was a bag of sweaty snot as I just made it.

Back to the swim and the workaholic coot was still frantically back and forth , back and forth nest building.

Carl on the golden peg to my left was bagging skimmer after skimmer on paste against the edge of the spit to his left.  The bloody fish were crawling up the bank and his pole.  Every now and then the skimmer would step aside and a carp took up the challenge to drag his silvers rig through my swim and around in an arc. Fish after fish and I was starting to get nervous. Apart from the first run,. I hadn't had a bite in 3 hours.  Craig Bate to my right was no better struggling after a monster carp had snapped his elastic.  I stood for a bit to ease the backache and give me a different angle to watch Carl land another carp.

The water in front of me was deathly still apart from the bow waves from Carl's swim. So I reeled in and tried the pole lines.a 2 oz roach and a 2 oz skimmer took a 6 mill pumped pellet; and a Perch around 6 ounces took a worm.  No Carp though and in fact no more bites.

Back on the tip and the line ripped out and snapped again on the hook-length above the hook.  Time for a rethink.  Took my cap off and just as I did a obese pigeon in the branches above me crapped a great big sloppy black and white shit on my head!!!!!!

It could have waited for me to put my hat back on. Washed it out with my drinking water which was surprisingly refreshing.

Still it brings you luck according to Carl who was pissing himself on the next peg.

So a dig around in the tackle found my hook-length box but unfortunately that was the biggest I had.  So I decided to slacken of the clutch and take it of the line clip.  That way if I let em run on a slipping clutch I would have more chances of turning them before a snap.

Wham the line was ripping off and it worked a twenty pounder graced the net.  Well I say graced the net.  It nearly broke the net and i had a right job trying to get it in the net.  This was swiftly followed by another very long fish and another with a huge tail.   Both of which were so long they too struggled to fit.

Carl in the meantime continued with Carp and skimmers crawling up his pole. Mind you he was fishing like the keystone cops, knocking his landing net in , dropping his pole in the lake hooking bushes and trees the whole gambit but still he caught.

Another one for me and I lost three others one right on the whistle , all of which wrapped themselves around the airiator across to my right.

The all out was called we had struggled along our bank except Carl Craig to my right had about 16 lb he thought.  I had 4 carp for 48 lb 15 oz; and Tommy the other side of the spit had mostly skimmers. 

Back to the car to find the Pigeons family had decorated my car as well, the complete left side was covered in bird crap. Tackle packed away it was the clubhouse for the result.

Viaduct regular Vinny Payne kicks of this section but he had struggled today as had many others.  The Sunday peg of 66 for Mike had seen the fish move next door and Kev East and H Harris making the most of the migration. Even the great Ben Bentley had struggled.

My section next mid section blues.  Next time if I am n Carey I will up the hook lengths from 0.17 to 0.21 and have a bigger landing net.  I would feed more as well as today the more I built the swim the better.  Well done to fellow Nomad for taking this section.

Viaduct regular Neil Gaff just being pipped in the corner by Dave Hydes. So to the top three Dave, Neil and Ivan with Ivan taking the silvers pool by 5th default!!!! Bet the 4 above him will go in the silvers pool next time!

Happy with my personal and team result as we pipped the A team.  1 RHA suffered from their missing angler, even a half decent sect position from that angler would have given them the win.  As it was well done to Arty B for winning, second to Baggers A.  Upavon ably assisted by Carl's bagging day helped themselves to Third.

Back on the Canal this weekend, and normal sized fish!!